Brightmere Energy has settled its annual pay negotiations with ECSU at 4%, backdated to April. The agreement was confirmed on 26 September following further talks after members rejected the earlier offer in an indicative ballot. It brings the immediate award for bargaining grades to a conclusion.
The union's August consultation had produced a strong rejection: 79% of those voting opposed the offer, on a turnout of 58%. It was an indicative ballot rather than a vote authorising industrial action. The settlement followed further negotiations after that consultation.
Regional officer Maxine Doyle said the settlement reflected the work of negotiators and the message sent by members. ‘People wanted the company to understand what the award meant to their household finances,’ she said. ‘The backdating matters because the negotiations have continued well beyond the start of the pay year.’
A Brightmere spokesperson welcomed the agreement and thanked colleagues and representatives for their involvement. The company said it wanted to continue a constructive working relationship with ECSU as customer service developed. It did not publish a separate cost for the settlement or announce changes to its staffing plans with the award.
The Bristol supplier has been introducing new customer-service technology. Automated call notes and transcription began arriving at Filton this month, with further tools planned in stages. Doyle said pay and technology should not be treated as the same negotiation, even though colleagues experienced both changes within their working lives.
‘Agreeing the award does not remove the need to discuss how a job is changing,’ she said. ‘We will keep asking questions about training, the use of information about advisers and the support people need to do the work properly.’ She did not announce a new dispute alongside the pay settlement.
Business analyst Celia Davenhall said a concluded annual award gave an employer a clearer basis for planning. ‘Unfinished negotiations create uncertainty for both sides,’ she said. ‘A settlement establishes one part of the cost picture. It does not tell you whether every other question in the workplace has been resolved.’
Brightmere's customer operations include Filton, Swansea and home-based teams, with Field Services engineers working from depots. The company has been majority owned by Calder Infrastructure Partners since April 2023. Management has said its technology investment will assist colleagues, with efficiencies expected through natural changes in teams rather than redundancies.
An adviser contacted after the announcement said they were relieved to be able to check their own pay position rather than follow another round of speculation. ‘I wanted to know what had actually been agreed,’ the employee said. ‘Now I can look at that and get on with the other things happening at work.’ Brightmere said colleagues would receive information through its usual pay communications.